"That Uchiha brat, born evil—I see it now! He's pretending to treat Tsunade's hemophobia just to trick her into a romantic relationship! He wants to replicate her bond with Dan Katō, then use that emotional connection to cure a trauma rooted in emotion!"
"Hmph. Absurd. As if such a scheme would really work! That Uchiha brat is too cunning—there's no way it's that simple."
"Exactly! This whole curing-the-hemophobia thing is just a front. That Uchiha kid must be hiding something deeper. Think. What is he really after..."
After another round of sinister mental gymnastics, Shimura Danzō widened his lone eye. His face twisted with malevolent clarity. "I get it now\... I finally see the truth! That wicked Uchiha wants to use the entire Senju clan for their sinister scheme!"
"He got Tsunade's necklace—that symbol of the Senju clan. And once he uses the hemophobia treatment to get closer to her, the whole Hidden Leaf will naturally assume Tsunade supports him."
"That means the Senju clan's influence will follow."
"And once he gets that support, that evil little Uchiha could sway the entire political direction of the Hidden Leaf. He might even go for the Hokage seat!"
"And if he gets her to bear his child—he could eliminate her and leave only himself and their child, the sole remaining Senju bloodline. He'd use that child to gain complete control over the Senju!"
"Eventually, the entire village, top to bottom, would fall into his hands!"
"Evil! Absolutely evil! Despicable! Uchiha Kei, you born-evil brat—you're the greatest threat to the village. Only your death can save the Hidden Leaf!"
"No. Hiruzen's already been completely deceived by that little devil. He even arranged for the treatment himself."
"Now, nobody else can stop him. Only I, Danzō, can protect the Hidden Leaf in times like these!"
Having convinced himself through a melodramatic sequence worthy of a soap opera, Danzō's single eye burned with righteous zeal. This wasn't delusion—this was a miracle of self-brainwashing, a firm belief that he was acting without selfish motives. All for the village.
Whether anyone else believed it didn't matter. Danzō certainly did.
And so, his twisted resolve solidified. It was time to act.
————
While hidden currents stirred in the Hidden Leaf, far away in the Land of Rain, a steady downpour fell as always.
Surrounded by mountains and caught between multiple nations with varying terrain, the Land of Rain experienced rainfall nearly year-round. Luckily, a complex waterway system diverted the excess rain, or the whole country would be a swamp.
Because of this, the land remained lush but agriculturally poor. Yearly imports were necessary just to sustain the population.
However, after the Second Great Ninja War, the nation began to decline. Hanzo—once called the Demi-God—had declared war on three of the five great nations. The Land of Rain, which had been stable before the war, began a steep decline.
Even with a powerhouse like Hanzo, the country couldn't escape collapse.
Now, the nation was in ruin. Famine struck every year, and Hanzo, aging and disillusioned, had abandoned his once-lofty ideals. He had become the very sort of ruler he once despised.
Though he still bore the title of demi-god, his power had faded. All he wanted now was to maintain control, regardless of the nation's suffering.
It was disheartening. Disgusting.
In a more just world, such a leader would be overthrown—either by the people or by ambitious subordinates.
But not in the shinobi world, where individual strength decided everything. No one dared challenge Hanzo, despite the famine and despair.
His authority remained unshaken—until death.
Still, not everyone in the Land of Rain had given up.
Yahiko, now 15, was one such spark. Trained by Jiraiya, one of the Legendary Sannin, he burned with the will to change his homeland. He'd made a promise with his companions Nagato and Konan—to reshape the Land of Rain and, perhaps, the entire shinobi world.
Jiraiya was proud of their ideals. But it was time for him to return to the Hidden Leaf.
He had received a letter summarizing the village's recent developments. With war possibly imminent, it was time for one of the Sannin to return.
With a sigh, Jiraiya packed up.
The white-haired man wasn't thrilled, but he understood. His role was to protect the village.
By strict definition, Jiraiya should've been branded a rogue for leaving the village to train foreign kids. In another country, he'd be on a most-wanted list.
But the Hidden Leaf—thanks to Hiruzen Sarutobi's leniency—let him come and go as he pleased. Classic indulgence.
Given how much he owed the village, Jiraiya couldn't ignore Hiruzen's request.
So, he called over his three students to break the news. Yahiko, Nagato, and Konan were young, full of energy, but understood: fledglings must eventually fly on their own.
Jiraiya would give them one last test before parting. He wanted to see how far they'd come.
The trio promised not to let him down.
They went out into the wilds for their final exam—a battle against Jiraiya himself.
Though still young, the three fought admirably. Though overwhelmed, they didn't shame their teacher. With tight coordination and Nagato's Rinnegan powers, they managed to defeat Jiraiya's shadow clone.
He was pleased. He congratulated them, gave each a parting gift, and proposed one final outing—a celebratory trip.
Not in the Land of Rain, but to a prosperous city near the Land of Fire's border.
The Land of Rain was simply too dangerous now. And Jiraiya, being one of the Sannin, had a target on his back. Better to play it safe.
Crossing borders was no issue for shinobi of their caliber.
In the bustling city, they feasted on grilled meat, soaking in the peace and affluence. Yahiko's resolve strengthened—he wanted to bring prosperity to his homeland.
Nagato and Konan, too, were struck by the contrast. They admired the Land of Fire and mourned their own nation's plight.
Yahiko had the dream. The others followed it.
Jiraiya saw this clearly. But he didn't mind. In the cruel shinobi world, even having one dreamer to follow was rare.
Better three people walking one path than three people pulling in different directions.
After all, history had shown what happens when ideals clash.
Just look at the First Hokage and Madara Uchiha—once best friends, their ideological split led to the Battle at the Valley of the End.
————
After the meal, Jiraiya led the trio around the city. He wanted them to witness more—to see the contrast between the Land of Rain and the Land of Fire.
What would it take to turn their homeland into something like this?
Well... you couldn't expect the Toad Sage—a dreamy idealist who barely understood politics—to figure it out.
Even when training Naruto, Jiraiya expected him to figure out life on his own.
And this was a younger Jiraiya—only in his thirties, lacking worldly experience, and nowhere near completing his shinobi journey.
These older shinobi had a habit: if they couldn't figure something out, they'd just dump the burden on their protégés and hope they became visionaries.
Hiruzen did it. Jiraiya did it. And Uchiha Fugaku? His treatment of Itachi was just straight-up unhinged.
Then it happened—Jiraiya froze.
They'd stumbled upon a brand-new arcade that had just opened in the city.
Having spent most of his time in remote areas training students, Jiraiya had never seen such a place. He was baffled.
But Jiraiya was nothing if not shameless—he asked around. Quickly, he learned what an arcade was, and his face lit up with amazement and curiosity.
"So this is that genjutsu-based game old man Hiruzen mentioned? They made it public? Opened a whole arcade for it? Aren't they worried about information leaks?!"
He didn't get it. But he was intrigued.
He waved to his three curious students and brought them inside.
He didn't know exactly how the genjutsu games worked, but he wanted them to experience it together.
The staff welcomed them warmly, offering impeccable service.
After learning they wanted to play together, the staff recommended a game: *Left to Survive*.
And so, their first journey into the genjutsu gaming world began—in a post-apocalyptic setting, no less.
It shook all of them to their core.